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Well, they’re now in and still on pre-order, with a publication date of October 23rd. They look pretty striking – you don’t really see that many blue covers around in the genre section, so hopefully it’ll sit out nicely on the shelves. There’s another nice illustrated map inside as well.

That’s the sixth mainstream novel I’ll have published to date, seven books in all…

Back from holiday (photos to come later this week, once I’ve caught up with chores). But a quick note to say that the Lucan Drakenfeld short story, “The Messenger”, is now up for sale on Amazon Kindle and other ebook shops. If you’ve never read the Drakenfeld books it’s a good chance to see what they’re about. If you have read the first one, then this adds a fraction more depth

“The Messenger” is a new Drakenfeld short story which is to be published in ebook format through the usual channels (Kindle, iTunes etc). It’s set a few years before the timeline of the first novel.

It can be read in isolation as a taster of the series, or to add depth if you’re already a fan of the book. In fact, the events of “The Messenger”, which concern the attempt on the life of a young prince, are referenced within the first novel – for those keen-eyed readers among you.

The story will be released some time in August. I’ll know more soon, and will update accordingly, but keep an eye out for it.

Having just solved a difficult case in his home city of Tryum, Sun Chamber Officer Lucan Drakenfeld and his associate Leana are ordered to journey to the exotic city of Kuvash in Koton, where a revered priest has gone missing. When they arrive, they discover the priest has already been found – or at least parts of him have. But investigating the unusual death isn’t a priority for the legislature of Kuvash; there’s a kingdom to run, a census to create and a dictatorial Queen to placate. Soon Drakenfeld finds that he is suddenly in charge of an investigation in a strange city, whose customs and politics are as complex as they are dangerous.

Kuvash is a city of contradictions; wealth and poverty exist uneasily side-by-side and behind the rich façades of gilded streets and buildings, all levels of depravity and decadence are practised. When several more bodies are discovered mutilated and dumped in a public place, Drakenfeld realizes there’s a killer at work who seems to delight in torture and pain. With no motive, no leads and no suspects, he feels like he’s running out of options. And in a city where nothing is as it seems, seeking the truth is likely to get him killed . . .

You’re absolutely right, and women were far more powerful in history than we tend to believe. Figures such as the legendary Empress Theodora of the Byzantine era are among the most interesting and powerful characters in all of history, for my money. Women had pretty much equal rights to men during Anglo Saxon Britain, something conveniently forgotten by those who make claims in their own work that it’s just how things were for women. Imagine what life would be like if it wasn’t for the Norman conquest and those rights hadn’t been taken away?

With Drakenfeld Newton moves in a very different direction than his previous series, but the world and characters he creates are instantly compelling and very entertaining. I loved the details Newton inserted into his world building, such as the graffiti everywhere and the political structures not just of Tryum, but of the Vispasian Union over all. Drakenfeld is a wonderful start to the series and I can’t wait to read Lucan and Leana’s next adventure later this year in Retribution.

What with it being paperback release week, I’ve a few things out and about online. The first is a guest post at SFX Magazine, where I talk about The Fantasy Of Ancient History:

Imagine the Prime Minister, David Cameron. Imagine he’s going to write down what life is like for the British people. (If you’re reading this in America, try this with Mitt Romney instead of Dave.) Imagine Dave is trying to paint a vivid picture of British life, and also that he was going to write down what ‘great things’ he’d done for the country. Now imagine that, in a thousand years, historians were going to read Dave’s great writings, along with Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith and other wealthy members of the Cabinet, and these writings were going to inform the people / robots of the future that this is what life was really like for people in 2014.

Investigators are a great way of exploring a secondary world without info-dumping on the reader. A detective will get to meet a wide array of character classes, and get a first-hand look at the underbelly of any world you create. I love creating worlds and I’ve found that investigators are, for me, the best way of painting a great picture for the reader. I also like the ‘engine’ of a crime novel, more so than, say, a quest (not to say it’s bad, this is merely my preference). With a mystery there’s an inherent narrative drive to keep the reader turning the pages. No matter what kind of writer you are, you still want readers to follow to the end.

I’m most passionate about writing when I’m annoyed with something. For Drakenfeld, I had become a bit annoyed with various discussions of fantasy books. I had noticed a trend, in very broad and casual terms, that people were beginning to associate the level of violence and ‘grit’ in a fantasy novel with how good a book it was. That dialogue in certain quarters, subconsciously or otherwise, was being dismissive of fiction that did not have much in the way of visceral action. ‘Grimdark’ characters could rape, murder, and revel in it – and that was being deemed as mature fiction. As grown up.

A very quick reminder that today is the publication for the paperback of Drakenfeld. Online you can order it from Amazon, WH Smiths, Waterstones, Foyles or your local independent. Or you can walk into a physical store to pick it up. Apparently WH Smiths have got behind it, so it should be seen especially in their travel stores at airports and train stations etc. Don’t forget, tonight is the Twitter Q&A!

Just a heads-up that on Thursday, 6pm UK time, I’ll be doing a Twitter Q&A with the folk at Tor UK (and anyone else who wants to pitch in). The hashtag for the session will be #MarkAtTor. So if you’re online, do say hello!

As you can see, I have a few copies of the paperback of Drakenfeld, far more than I really need. So I’d like to put them to good use. I’ve got eight copies to give away, which I will sign (or not) and send out to the first eight people who drop me a line via the online contact page. Just say you’d like a copy – no emotional manipulation required – and if you’re one of the first eight I’ll let you know. I’m happy to send them to all corners of the globe, too.

It’s arrived, and it’s looking rather lovely in its regal purple jacket. Nice gold foil on the lettering; and the title font has been illustrated for this book. But what you can’t see is the velvety SuperMatt cover finish, which is all kinds of touchy feely. I also think the Twitter logo is a nice touch, as well as a sign of the times, so I should probably stop posting pictures of my allotment or bottles of whisky on there lest I scare off the new folk. I’ll be getting a big box of these in the next few days, so I will probably do a giveaway in exchange for an honest line or two on Goodreads or whatever. You can pre-order it from Amazon, WH Smiths, Waterstones, Foyles or your local independent. Tell a friend.